Can anyone tell me how to solder together a seam in copper flashing? It’s probally 1/32 thick. I tried it today with lead free solder but had no luck.
I cleaned the copper with emery cloth, and used flux on both sides, but the solder just ran right out of the joint. At best, the two peices held together, but it was hardly a joint I would be confident in for water resistance.
thanks,
st
Replies
The two pieces have to be held firmly in place while you're soldering.
Solder does not make a great mechanical connection.
SamT
soldering iron or torch???
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You can use 50/50 solder if you want to.
The sheets should either be lapped and folded or rivetted to hold them together,since the solder is to keep the joint watertight not to act as structural integrity.
You should heat a large soldering iron to transfer the heat to the sheet,and heat up the metal until solder will be pulled into the joint when it melts off the iron.
That type of detail is hard to solder with a torch, which is what I suspect you're trying to do. You need a soldering copper (iron) heated with propane, mapp, or acetylene. Don't even try an electric soldering iron. The only way to get a strong solder joint is to pre-tin before assembling the pieces and it sounds like they're already assembled. We use Ruby fluid (zinc chloride) to flux and 50/50 solder.
All that being said, my guys probably install a mile of copper flashing every year and we don't solder it. Copper pop rivets hold the pieces together and will let the pieces move slightly for expansion/contraction.
but it was hardly a joint I would be confident in for water resistance.
I'm assuming here that you're refering to the verticle joints in brick or stone counter flashing. Flashing should not be dependent on solder to be water tight. That should be accomplished in the design and installation.
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hey greencu,
quick question. with a copper countertop, will a stainless steel sink attached to it cause an electrolytic reaction, or are these metals compatible?
thanks,
jackplane
They're compatible.STOP, DROP, ..............ROCK 'N' ROLL
The flashing I am trying to create is to go on a trouble spot of a roof that I'm doing a repair on. Sounds like I'm the latest of numerous attempts to stop a leak.
The trouble spot is where a valley intersects with a lesser sloped section. The last roofer to attempt repair installed a peice of aluminum (see picture) just below the trouble spot, but anyone else that "does" have common sense can see that it would be mostly ineffective if water did, (and has been) getting under the shingles.
I want to take a piece of copper and center it directly over the point where the valley and the lower slope intersect. It will have to be partially cut and then a "wedge" soldered in to accomidated the compound shape. Then I could install a water barrier in the valley that would overlap the copper flashing, which in turn would be overlapping the new tarpaper on the lower slop section.
Next, fix a half dozen other mistakes the roofers made on this area of the house... only one ply of tarpaper on the 12/3 secton, tarpaper running into the valley instead of accross it, shingles lapping valley with end tabs instead of middle tabs, no water barrier in the valleys... but what do I know about roofing, I'm just a handyman.
let me try one more time with the pictures....
The new pieces of wood nailed to the rotten pieces were from the last guys repair. This time, we took all the bad stuf out...
Edited 4/22/2005 11:32 am ET by housedktr
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Looks like some sort of a cricket is what we're talking about. You'll need some large (4-5 lb) coppers or a soldering rig with a propane heated copper. Use ruby fluid for flux and 50/50 solder. Flat lock the seams together, dry fit it and the take it apart and pre-tin all the joints so solder is inside the joint. Re-assemble it and solder. We never use anything less than a 5lb copper for this type situation. Good luck. Oh, by the way, I buy a lot of soldering coppers on EBAY.STOP, DROP, ..............ROCK 'N' ROLL
after trying all day, unsuccessfully, to locate an iron, I got pointed in the direction of using brazing rods to do this. I used silver alloy rods and a torch to get the job done. Seemed to work fine. after several practice attempts, got what seams to be a water tight joint when i tested it with the water hose.
I still slid as much water barrier underneth as I could, and set the flashing down in a big gob of PL roof caulk. Next will come the watershield membrane down the valley to overlap the top of the flashing.
Hopfully when I get it all put together, it will block that leaky spot that has been there for 20 years.
You had the right idea there but that piece is far too samll. The verticle leg should cover the subfacia. You could still slip a peice of step flashing in under #### there.
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yep, i'm with you on that... I'll make a few peices of step flashing to go the rest of the way down that subfacia and weave them with the shingles. the facia will get a peice of hardie-board, overhung by the shingle edges, that will be the counter-flashing.
You are getting there, but I would suggest using a swath of Ice and water shield above that junction with the sheathing.
Looks good.
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Piffin is right,your piece is too small.
You should shingle the lower piece of roof up as high as you can,step fllashing against the sub fascia with each course of shingles preferably over Ice and Water shield.
Then you should install a larger replica of what you made .It should be on top of the lower pitch shingles and extend up the valley a foot or so.Then ice and water over it and the valley and shingle the upper pitch.In this way water runs down the valley onto your copper "pan" then onto the lower roof shingles for a completely watertight job.
The melting point is too high, and the pasty range is too narrow for lead-free.